February 14, 2022
Maria Taylor and Lorne Michaels Collaborating on Documentary Series ‘The History Of The Black Quarterback’
Maria Taylor, who once worked at ESPN, has signed on as an executive producer for an NBC Sports documentary series, The History of the Black Quarterback, that will air during next year’s Super Bowl week.
According to Deadline, Taylor, who hosted Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl for NBC, will be the executive producer for the docuseries The History of the Black Quarterback. Broadway Video, owned by longtime Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, will serve as a co-producer.
“This history and these stories are something I’ve wanted to do for some time, as they are reflective of our much larger national conversation,” said Taylor in a written statement. “And almost as soon as I started at NBC, Broadway Video and I began discussing it with Pete [Bevacqua]. To see it being done on this level is thrilling.”
The planned docuseries will span over eight episodes that will be an hour-long and broadcast on the Peacock platform during the 2023 Super Bowl week. The documentary will explore trailblazing Black quarterbacks who faced bigotry and prejudice throughout their careers as they advanced.
“The NBC Sports team is very much looking forward to telling the story of the difficult, too slow and ultimately courageous journey of the Black quarterback throughout the course of NFL history,” said Pete Bevacqua, chairman, NBC Sports. “It is an important story, one that needs to be told and one that can serve as an inspiration for all.”
After working at ESPN for nine years, Taylor left the network to join NBC. During contract negotiations with her old network, Taylor was thrown into an ugly diversity debate when a recording of white ESPN host Rachel Nichols leaked. Nichols claimed Taylor received an NBA Finals assignment because she is Black in the recording.